And Samson said to them: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And may be translated “But” since Samson does not answer as expected. However, many English versions omit it (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). The repetition of the name Samson marks some kind of emphasis here, as he makes a new resolution. The general verb said may be rendered “answered” (Contemporary English Version) or “replied.” The pronoun them is slightly odd since Samson has been speaking to his wife’s father. Here it probably refers to her whole family, including her father. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version omit this pronoun, but it should be kept to indicate that the issue with Samson’s wife has become a public matter.
This time I shall be blameless in regard to the Philistines: It is interesting to note that Samson does not show sadness at having lost the woman he loved, but rather anger. The phrase This time suggests that Samson’s response will somehow be different from the last time he took action against the Philistines. The word used here in Hebrew (paʿam) can refer to the footstep of a person or an animal (verse 6.28) or the beat or strike of a hammer, but here it has a temporal meaning. Many English versions say This time, but New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has simply “Now.” I shall be blameless renders a Hebrew word that means “innocent,” “clean,” or “free from obligation.” Samson feels justified in seeking vengeance for having lost his wife. There are many idiomatic ways to express this idea, for example, “I have a right to get even” (New International Version) and “I have a good reason” (Contemporary English Version). Good News Translation‘s “I’m not going to be responsible” may go a little further than the text. In regard to the Philistines is literally “from the Philistines.” Samson will be blameless for anything he does to the Philistines. For the Philistines, see verse 3.3. Since Samson is speaking to Philistines, he might say “This time I will be blameless in so far as you Philistines are concerned.” New American Bible reorders this clause, saying “This time the Philistines cannot blame me.”
When I do them mischief: When renders the Hebrew particle ki, which New American Bible translates similarly as “if.” However, Revised English Bible interprets ki as an emphatic marker and presents an independent clause: “I shall do them some real harm.” New International Version is similar with “I will really harm them.” The Hebrew pronoun for I is emphatic. The Hebrew word for mischief (raʿah) can also mean “evil,” and it is the word used to describe Israel’s behavior throughout the book (see verse 2.15). Here it means “harm” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “trouble.” The pronoun them refers to the Philistines, which may be made explicit here. We might say “when I punish the Philistines.”
Some languages may prefer to reverse the order of the clauses in Samson’s response by saying “When I punish the Philistines, this time I will be innocent.”
Translation models for this verse are:
• Samson answered them, “This time, when I hurt the Philistines, I will be entirely justified.”
• But Samson said to them, “This time you Philistines cannot accuse me when I do you harm.”
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .